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Scott Pilgrim Vs The World on PS3

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game is a game available for the Playstation 3 through the Playstation Network (PSN) and therefore can only be downloaded from the Playstation Store on you PS3 console. There is also an xbox 360 version of this game available too.

A just over a year ago Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game was available free to Playstation Plus members or at a price of £7.99 for non members, as I am a member I of course decided to take advantage of a freebie and download it.

**Download & Installation**Downloading Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game is pretty easy, you simply need to take a visit to the Playstation Store on your console and select your purchase. Once purchased you will need to select "download" for the game to be installed on your system. Due to the fact that this installation process can usually take a while and you can't install it in the background while you do other things, I left mine downloading overnight so I am unsure exactly how long it took, but it was ready and waiting in the morning.

**Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game & Film**Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game is based on the Scott Pilgrim film. A quick over view of the film gives the base for the game so basically, in the film Scott is a geeky but loveable nerd who falls in love with Ramona, in order to be with Ramona Scott must fist defeat her evil ex's. Personally I have seen the film and quite enjoyed it, it was humours and kind of retro in a geeky but cool way so because of this I thought the game would be quite good too.

**Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game**Once my game was installed and ready to play I was reasonably excited and prepared for a decent game. What I actually got was a retro game which does make me smile in parts but on the whole is generally very slow and extremely repetitive. So, let me explain...

The game has been made in classic 8-bit style with retro graphics, sound effects and music, for me this is fantastic and a bit of a trip down memory lane to the old school gaming days. Even the text in the game is written in a font resembling the games of my childhood.

Upon starting the game you will be greeted by the main menu screen and some classic style video game music, you will then be asked to select what difficulty you want to play and which character you wish to play as, there is a choice of four, Scott, his two best friends or Ramona. I have had a go with all the characters and I don't really see a noticeable difference between them so I usually just stick to Scott. Next you will be shown a map screen which kind of resembles the map screen from Super Mario Bros 3 (I think) here is where you can choose which area you want to play, more areas become unlocked the further you progress in the game.

Selecting area one will take you to a street scene where you simply have to walk along the street and fight various characters, as you fight you will receive coins every time you defeat someone. Fighting in the game is pretty easy as you simply have to press one button for punches and one for kicks, you can also do flying kicks by pressing jump first. These moves are pretty basic and seem to get you through most of the level. If you press and hold triangle for a couple of seconds you can pick up various items lying in the street to use as weapons, I soon found this a bit pointless as you only need to get hit once and Scott will drop the weapon leaving you surrounded and having to resort back to fists and feet to fight. Nine times out of ten though this is not too much of a problem as the bad guys are pretty easy to defeat the main problem I find with this game is how slow paced it is, Scott moves ridiculously slow to begin with and only gets a little faster as you level up, this is really frustrating as you end up walking slowly across the scene, fighting an enemy or two an then walking once again, maybe I'm missing something or my download is corrupted in someway, but I don't see a lot more to do in this game.

One of the features during the game is that Scott can enter certain shops and spend the coins he has gained on food to boost his health and keep him strong enough to fight. The shops are labelled well with a figure who looks just like Scott standing outside and with the speed the game moves at I would say it is almost impossible to miss these shops!

When you finally reach the end of an area you will meet one of Ramona's ex's who you will need to fight and defeat to progress further in the game. So far I have found Ramona's ex's to be a little more challenging than the street fights leading up to these parts but they are generally still quite easy and the movement is still very slow, maybe I'm just used to newer games now but I'm sure it never used to take just over 20 minutes to reach the boss of a side scrolling platform game, did it? So, once the evil ex is defeated you will have a few more coins to collect before being shown a message stating "Area Clear". You will then be given a summary of your points from the level and taken back to the map screen where you can begin the whole process again on the next level.

**Multiplayer & Online**Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game doesn't have any online options for playing but there is a multiplayer option. Personally I don't have a second controller and my partner isn't really into games so I can't comment on whether multiplayer is any better than single player.

**Controls**The controls of the game are easy and mainly a case of a bit of button bashing and making sure you are facing the right direction. Scott is easy to move around using the left analogue stick, slow but still easy.

**Playstation Network Trophies**Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game is trophy compatible although there are only 12 trophies which can be won.

**Price and Availability**As I mentioned earlier I got this game through the Playstation Network and it is a PSN game so you wont find it in the shops. When I downloaded it I got it for free through my Playstation Plus membership but it was priced at £7.99 for non-members.

**Overall**Overall I do like the retro feel to this game and I do think that if they hadn't made it so slow then it wouldn't be so frustrating and would therefore be a pretty decent game, but they have and it isn't! The music and sound effects in the game are good for a trip down memory lane, the graphics are good, the scenes are quite bright with strong colours and the game itself is "playable" so I wont be deleting it from my system just yet but at the same time I am glad it was free as I wouldn't want to spend money on this one.

Only 3 out of 5 stars for this one and I will only recommend it if you can get it for free or very cheap!

Thanks for reading :)

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Comedic beat-em-up based on the popular comic book/movie.

One of my favorite movies in recent years would have to be Scott Pilgrim versus The World. The flick based on a Bryan Lee O'Malley comic was a fun watch thanks to its combination of over the top action and comedic humor. As a self confessed geek I especially appreciated the film's over abundance of nerdy pop culture references, which put the average College Humor video to shame. In hindsight I regret that it took me so long to check out the film, which I can blame on its less than impressive trailer. My how I would have loved to experience the Scott Pilgrim spectacle on the big screen. Ah well, at least I can console myself in the knowledge that I wasn't the only one to miss out on seeing the movie at the cinema. Despite excellent reviews, the Edgar Wright directed feature disappointed at the box office proving once again that the mainstream movie going public has terrible taste in entertainment.

I've recently gone on a Playstation Network shopping spree having acquired a new PS3 endowed with a suitably large hard disk for storing downloadable purchases. The new machine replaces my old 40GB console, which sadly died midway during a FIFA 13 matchup. Rest in peace faithful friend. We had some good times over the years playing through the likes of Dead Space, Final Fantasy and Mass Effect. Anyway, given my praise for all things Scott Pilgrim it shouldn't come as a shock that the Scott Pilgrim video game topped my PSN store shopping list. Having played through it multiple times, with different characters, I am pleased to report that the game is one of those rare examples of a licensed title doing the source material justice.

The game's zany plot follows the story of both the movie and comic it draws inspiration from. Scott Pilgrim, the 24-year-old bass player of the upcoming band Sex Bob-omb, has started dating Ramona Flowers - an American ninja delivery girl who is in the employment of the online retailer Amazon. Their relationship would be going swimmingly were it not for Ramona's seven evil exes who will stop at nothing to cock block anyone with aspirations of courting their former lover. If romance between Scott and Ramona is ever to see fruition the couple will first have to teach Flowers' previous flings a lesson of the fisticuffs variety. Aiding the lovebirds in their struggle are Scott's fellow band mates Stephen "the talent" Stills and the group's moody drummer Kim Pine.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is a side scrolling beat-em-up much like Final Fight or Double Dragon, which I recently reviewed. The easy to get to grips with gameplay has players progressing through levels pummeling anything that gets in their way. Choosing to forego the realistic looking visuals the PS3 can produce; the game instead opts to go for colorful blocky sprites as a nod to the old school brawlers it is mimicking. As a thirty-year-old game playing dinosaur it is good to see that retro graphics are all the rage these days. It must be said that the simplistic looking character designs work well as they match the artwork that appears in the Scott Pilgrim comic book perfectly.

The game's story spans across seven levels, which are accessed via a Super Mario like world map (one of many video game references you'll spot throughout Scott's adventure.) It's not the longest brawler on the market, but I feel I have already got my money's worth as I have replayed it numerous times to unlock a hidden playable character and watch all of the endings on offer. Battling through the stages is always a joy due to the game's charming sense of humor and varied environments. One moment you will be scrapping with thugs in snowy Toronto, next you'll be battling Godzilla cosplayers in a movie studio, followed by duels with ninjas at a sushi bar or some graveyard based zombie bashing. You certainly cannot accuse Ubisoft of not changing things up with respect to the level design.

Initially the game may come across as challenging, but that is soon remedied via some RPG style character enhancement. As foes are defeated Scott and chums earn experience points allowing them to eventually level up, which unlocks new moves. When starting life out in level one players are restricted to a couple of punch attacks, but as their level grows new maneuvers are added to their fighting repertoire including the ability to throw opponents, a strike that punishes anyone sneaking up behind you or a sweep for tripping up adversaries. Defeated enemies burst into a pile of coins that can be picked up and spent at stores to further improve your fighter. There's nothing more satisfying than buying some snacks to beef up your strength and then knocking out uber enemies, that previously gave you trouble, in a sole hit. You'll feel like such a powerhouse.

For anyone who has enjoyed Scott Pilgrim in its movie or comic book guises this game is a must have. Fans of classic beat-em-ups will also love this downloadable title. An excellent chip tune soundtrack composed by a group named Anamanaguchi compliments the game's retro art style. Prior to this game I've never heard of the band, but having listened to their work I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed. Scott Pilgrim has one of the best gaming scores I have heard in quite some time, proving that you don't need real instruments or a fancy orchestra to produce excellent music. Much like Streets of Rage or the Mega Man series of years gone by you cannot help but admire what catchy ditties can be produced using nothing more than 8 bit bleeps and electronic synchronizer type sounds.

Much as I loved playing the game solo I would imagine that Scott Pilgrim vs The World would only be more fun if you can take advantage of the co-op multiplayer. The game supports up to four players on one machine, but inexplicably does not offer online play at the time of writing. That omission has prevented me from sampling the multiplayer as scheduling free time with my buddies isn't easy when juggling the demands of shift work. Perhaps I should get a girlfriend to join me for some two-player gaming sessions? Nah. Video games have taught me that female companions aren't worth the hassle. They inevitably get kidnapped, requiring rescue, or have you battling jealous ex-boyfriends for their affections. I don't have time for such shenanigans when there's so many uncompleted video games left to play.